Issued  November  8, 1910. 


U.  S.  DEPARTMENT  OF  AGRICULTURE. 


FARMERS’  BULLETIN  420. 


OATS: 

DISTRIBUTION  AND  USES. 


BY 


C.  W.  W AKHURTON, 

Agronomist  in  Charge  of  Oat  Investigations , 
Bureau  of  Plant  Industry. 


WASHINGTON: 

GOVERNMENT  PRINTING  OFFICE. 

1910. 


LETTER  OF  TRANSMITTAL 


U.  S.  Department  of  Agriculture, 

Bureau  of  Plant  Industry, 

Office  of  the  Chief, 

IF ashing  ton,  D.  C .,  August  20,  1010. 

Sir:  I  have  the  honor  to  transmit  and  to  recommend  for  publica¬ 
tion  as  a  Farmers’  Bulletin  the  accompanying  manuscript,  entitled 
“  Oats :  Distribution  and  Uses,”  prepared  by  Mr.  C.  W.  Warburton, 
Agronomist  in  Charge  of  Oat  Investigations,  under  the  direction  of 
Mr.  M.  A.  Carleton,  Cerealist  in  Charge  of  Grain  Investigations. 

Statistical  figures  of  the  production  and  value  of  the  oat  crop  are 
given,  the  market  grades  are  described,  and  the  uses  and  composition 
of  the  grain,  straw,  and  other  products  of  the  plant  are  discussed. 
The  publications  of  the  state  agricultural  experiment  stations  and  of 
other  bureaus  of  this  Department  have  been  freely  used  in  the  prep¬ 
aration  of  this  manuscript,  which  is  supplementary  to  Farmers’  Bulle¬ 
tin  424,  entitled  “Oats:  Growing  the  Crop.”  It  is  believed  that  the 
information  here  presented  will  be  of  general  interest  and  value  to 
farmers. 

Respectfully,  G.  II.  Powell, 

Acting  Chief  of  Bureau. 

lion.  James  Wilson, 

Secretary  of  Agriculture . 

420 

2 


CONTENTS. 


Introduction . 

Production  and  distribution  of  the  oat  crop 

World  production  of  oats . 

Production  of  oats  in  the  United  States 

Marketing  oats . 

Home  consumption . 

Preparation  for  market . 

Legal  weight . 

Market  grades . 

Exports  and  imports . 

Composition  of  oats . 

Proportion  of  grain  to  straw . 

Proportion  of  kernel  to  hull . 

Chemical  analyses . 

Digestibility . 

Utilization  of  the  grain . 

Use  of  oats  as  human  food . 

Feeding  the  grain  to  stock . 

Use  of  oat  by-products . 

Utilization  of  the  straw . 

Use  as  hay  and  pasture  and  for  soiling . 

Use  as  a  nurse  crop  and  as  a  cover  crop. . . . 
Summary . 


Page. 

5 

5 

5 

7 

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11 

12 

12 

12 

14 

14 

14 

15 

16 

17 

18 
18 


19 

21 


21 

21 

23 

23 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 

Page. 


Fig.  1.  Diagram  showing  the  proportion  of  the  total  oat  crops  of  the  United 

States  for  the  ten  years  1900-1909  produced  by  the  different  States. .  9 

2.  Map  of  the  United  States,  showing  the  percentage  of  the  total  acreage 

of  each  State  devoted  to  oats  for  the  ten  years  1900-1909 .  9 

3.  Map  of  the  United  States,  showing  the  mean  yield  of  oats,  in  bush¬ 

els  per  acre,  for  the  ten  years  1900-1909  .  10 

4.  Map  of  the  United  States,  showing  the  mean  acre  value  of  oats  on 

December  1  for  the  ten  years  1900-1909  .  11 


420 

4 


B.  P.  I.— 613. 


OATS:  DISTRIBUTION  AND  USES. 


INTRODUCTION. 

The  utilization  of  a  crop  and  its  by-products  to  secure  the  best 
returns  presents  problems  almost  equal  in  importance  to  those  in¬ 
volved  in  its  economical  and  profitable  production.  The  grower 
should  be  familiar  with  the  production  and  value  of  the  crop  in  other 
sections  and  in  other  countries,  with  the  grades  into  which  it  is  usually 
classified  on  the  market,  and  with  the  uses  which  can  be  made  of  it. 
In  the  case  of  a  grain  crop  largely  used  for  feeding  to  farm  animals, 
he  should  know  its  nutritive  value  as  compared  with  similar  crops, 
as  well  as  the  digestibility  of  the  matter  contained  in  the  grain  and 
other  products.  The  object  of  this  bulletin  is  to  supply  information 
along  these  lines  regarding  oats.  The  methods  of  growing  and  har¬ 
vesting  this  crop  are  discussed  in  another  publication  of  this  series.® 

PRODUCTION  AND  DISTRIBUTION  OF  THE  OAT  CROP. 

WORLD  PRODUCTION  OF  OATS. 

The  production  of  oats  is  practically  confined  to  the  Temperate 
Zones.  The  crop  does  best  in  cool,  moist  climates  and  will  not  thrive 
in  the  warmer  regions  unless  the  water  supply  is  ample.  It  reaches 
its  best  development  in  Norway,  Sweden,  Germany,  Great  Britain, 
and  Canada,  and  in  the  United  States  in  Washington,  Idaho,  and 
Montana.  Good  spring  oats  are  seldom  produced  in  the  southern 
part  of  the  United  States  or  in  southern  Europe,  while  the  northern 
limit  of  production  is  near  the  Arctic  Circle,  in  Norway  and  Alaska. 
The  crop  is  very  generally  grown  in  the  central  and  northern  por¬ 
tions  of  the  North  Temperate  Zone. 

a  Oats :  Growing  tlie  Crop.  Farmers’  Bulletin  424,  TJ.  S.  Dept,  of  Agriculture, 
1910.  Other  publications  relating  to  oats  which  may  be  obtained  free  upon  re¬ 
quest  to  the  Secretary  of  Agriculture,  Washington,  D.  C.,  are:  The  Prevention 
of  Stinking  Smut  of  Wheat  and  Loose  Smut  of  Oats,  Farmers’  Bulletin  250, 
U.  S.  Dept,  of  Agriculture,  1900:  Sixty-Day  and  Kherson  Oats,  Farmers’  Bul¬ 
letin  395,  U.  S.  Dept,  of  Agriculture,  1910;  and  Improvement  of  the  Oat  Crop, 
Circular  30,  Bureau  of  Plant  Industry,  1909. 

420 


5 


6 


oats:  distribution  and  uses. 


The  world  production  of  oats  in  bushels  is  greater  than  that  of 
either  corn  or  wheat,  but  as  its  weight  per  bushel  is  much  less,  the 
total  production  in  pounds  is  smaller  than  that  of  either  of  those 
crops.  The  average  annual  world  production  of  oats  for  the  five 
years  1905-1909  was  3,094,702.000  bushels  (see  Table  I)  ;  of  corn, 
3,443,169,000  bushels ;  and  of  wheat,  3,330,789,000  bushels.  The  actual 
world  production  of  all  these  crops,  particularly  of  oats  and  wheat, 
is  considerably  larger  than  these  figures  show,  no  statistics  being- 
available  for  South  America  and  for  a  large  part  of  both  Asia  and 
Africa.  The  production  of  oats  in  Africa  is  small,  but  in  South 
America  and  in  some  portions  of  Asia  for  which  no  figures  are  pub¬ 
lished  it  is  considerable.  The  1909  crop  of  the  world  was  about  one- 
fifth  larger  than  that  of  any  of  the  previous  four  years,  reaching  a 
total  of  4,295,805,000  bushels.  For  the  five  years  the  average  Euro¬ 
pean  production  of  oats  was  2,393,705,000  bushels,  or  practically  two- 
thirds  of  the  crop  of  the  world.  Russia,  Germany,  France,  and 
Austria-Hungary  are  the  leading  European  countries  in  the  pro¬ 
duction  of  oats,  as  shown  in  Table  II.  North  America  produced 
1,172,124,000  bushels,  nearly  four-fifths  of  which  were  produced  in 
the  United  States. 

Table  I. — Annual  and  average  ivorld  produetion  of  oats,  bg  eontinents ,  for  the 

five  gears  1905-1909.a 


Continent. 

1905. 

1906. 

1907. 

1908. 

1909. 

Average. 

North  America. . . 

Europe . 

Asia . 

Africa . 

Australasia . 

Total . 

Bushels . 
1,195, 761,000 
2, 192, 855,  000 
85,398,000 
12, 077,000 
24, 076,  000 

Bushels. 

1, 225, 056, 000 
2,188,632.000 
80, 072.  000 
14, 797, 000 
23, 913, 000 

Bushels. 
9S3, 677,  000 
2,466, 795,000 
85,507,000 
16, 805, 000 
25, 596, 000 

• 

Bushels. 
1,073,199,000 
2,  338, 312, 000 
107, 308, 000 
12, 838,000 
24,970,000 

Bushels. 

1 , 382, 928,  000 
2,781,932,000 
78,105,000 
16, 743, 000 
36, 157, 000 

Bushels. 

1 , 172, 124, 000 
2, 393, 705, 000 
87, 278, 000 
14, 652, 000 
26, 943, 000 

3, 510, 167,  000 

3, 532, 470,  000 

3, 578, 380, 000 

3, 556, 627,  000 

4, 295,  865, 000 

3,694,702,000 

a  This  table  and  those  which  follow  have  been  compiled  from  publications  of  the  Bureau 
of  Statistics,  U.  S.  Dept,  of  Agriculture. 


Table  II. — Leading  eountries  of  the  world  in  the  produetion  of  oats,  with  their 
annual  and  average  produetion  for  the  fire  gears  1905-1909. 


Country. 

1905. 

1906. 

1907. 

1908. 

1909. 

Average. 

United  States . 

European  Russia . 

Germany . 

France . 

Canada  . 

Austria-Hungary . 

United  Kingdom . 

Asiatic  Russia . 

Sweden . 

Bushels. 
953,216,000 
851,667,000 
451,017,000 
269,581,000 
242, 528,  000 
210, 899, 000 
171,527,000 
84, 995, 000 
58, 488,  000 

Bushels. 
964, 905, 000 
633, 291,000 
580, 875, 000 
256, 943, 000 
260, 134,  000 
251, 368, 000 
180, 384, 000 
79, 713, 000 
61,550,000 

Bushels. 
754, 443, 000 
822, 084,  000 
630,324,000 
303, 889,  000 
229,217,000 
256, 838, 000 
189, 478, 000 
85, 176, 000 
64,597.000 

Bushels. 
807, 156, 000 
834,518,000 
530,131,000 
285,  837, 000 
266, 026,  000 
222, 062, 000 
181,555,000 
106,  898,  000 
72, 773,  000 

Bushels. 

1,  007,  353, 000 
1,067,668,000 
628, 718,  000 
339, 743,  000 
375, 558,  000 
274,392,000 
184,528,000 
77, 705,  COO 
69, 292, 000 

Bushels. 
897,415,000 
841, 846, 000 
564, 213, 000 
291,199,000 
274,695,000 
243,112,000 
181,494,000 
86, 897, 000 
65,  940,  000 

420 


oats:  distribution  and  uses. 


7 


PRODUCTION  OP  OATS  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

The  oat  crop  ranks  fifth  in  value  among  the  farm  crops  of  the 
United  States,  being  exceeded  by  corn,  cotton,  wheat,  and  hay.  It  is 
third  among  the  cereals,  being  exceeded  only  by  corn  and  wheat. 
The  acreage  devoted  to  oats  is  slightly  larger  than  the  cotton  acreage 
and  is  much  smaller  than  that  of  the  other  crops  mentioned.  The 
1909  oat  crop,  slightly  over  1,000,000,000  bushels,  was  about  275,000,000 
bushels  larger  than  the  wheat  crop  of  that  year,  but  the  value  was 
only  $408,000,000,  as  compared  with  $730,000,000  for  wheat.  The 
corn  crop  of  1909  was  valued  at  $1,050,000,000.  or  more  than  four 
times  as  much  as  the  oat  crop.  The  farm  value  of  all  cereals  for  1909 
was  estimated  at  $3,000,000,000,  of  which  amount  the  oat  crop  repre¬ 
sented  about  13  per  cent. 

The  average  production  of  oats  in  the  United  States  for  the  ten 
years  from  1900  to  1909  was  809,954,000  bushels,  produced  on 
29,043,000  acres.  The  corn  crop  for  the  same  period  was 
2,453,109,000  bushels,  grown  on  95,028,000  acres,  and  the  wheat  crop 
059,509,000  bushels,  produced  on  40,078,000  acres. 

The  rapid  increase  in  the  production  of  oats  since  1870  is  shown  in 
Table  III.  The  crop  of  1909  was  the  largest  yet  grown,  both  in 
area,  33,204,000  acres,  and  in  yield,  1,007,353,000  bushels.  These 
figures  are  more  than  three  times  the  annual  acreage  and  production 
of  oats  from  1870  to  1879.  According  to  a  recent  estimate,  l.G  per 
cent  of  the  total  land  area  of  the  United  States  was  devoted  to  oats 
during  the  ten  years  1900-1909,  as  compared  with  1.2  per  cent  during 
the  ten  years  preceding,  and  2.5  and  5  per  cent  devoted  to  wheat  and 
corn,  respectively. 


Table  III. — Acreage,  production,  and  value  of  oats  in  the  United  States,  by  ten- 

year  periods,  from  1870  to  1909. 


Period. 

Acreage 
sown  and 
harvested. 

Mean 
yield  per 
acre. 

Production. 

Mean 
farm 
price  per 
bushel, 
Decem¬ 
ber  1. 

K 

Farm  value, 
December  1. 

1870-1879 . 

Acres. 
11,076, 892 
21 . 996, 375 

Bushels. 
28. 4 

Bushels. 
314,441, 178 
584,  395,  839 
698, 158, 388 
869,  953,  989 

Cents. 

33.7 

SI 03, 206, 495 
180,866,412 
189, 469, 553 
306, 072,  805 

1880-1889 . 

26.5 

32.0 

1890-1899 . 

26'  666, 691 

26.2 

27.  8 

1900-1909 . 

29;  613, 072 

29.  5 

35. 5 

The  average  acreage  and  production  and  the  mean  yield  per  acre 
of  oats  for  the  United  States  for  the  ten-year  period  1900-1909  are 
shown  in  Table  IV.  The  States  are  arranged  according  to  their 
rank  in  production.  The  mean  farm  value  per  bushel  and  per  acre 
on  December  1  and  the  average  annual  farm  value  are  also  shown 
in  this  table.  More  than  half  of  the  total  crop  for  this  period,  or 

420 


8 


oats:  distribution  and  uses 


446,105,000  bushels  annually,  was  produced  in.  the  five  leading 
States — Illinois,  Iowa,  Wisconsin,  Minnesota,  and  Nebraska. 


Table  IV. — Acreage,  production,  and  value  of  the  oat  crop  in  the  United  States 
for  the  ten  years  1900-1909,  the  States  arranged  according  to  their  rank  in 
production ,a 


Rank. 

State. 

Acreage. 

Mean 
yield 
per  acre. 

Production. 

Mean 
farm 
price  per 
bushel, 
Decem¬ 
ber  1. 

Total  farm 
value, 
December  1. 

Mean 
value 
per  acre, 
Decem¬ 
ber  1. 

1 

Illinois . 

Acres. 

3, 893, 790 

Bushels. 

31.2 

Bushels. 

121,107,519 

Cents. 

33.8 

$40, 248, 459 

$10. 25 

2 

Iowa . 

4, 059, 200 

29.5 

119, 140, 836 

30.1 

35,418,873 

8.66 

3 

Wisconsin . 

2,347,416 

33.3 

78, 487,  509 

34.5 

26, 493, 005 

11.24 

4 

Minnesota . 

2,243,815 

31.7 

70, 784,631 

31.1 

21,859,728 

9. 62 

5 

Nebraska . 

2,128,438 

26.4 

65, 644,  291 

30.1 

16,608,106 

7.73 

6 

Indiana . 

1,504,744 

29.0 

43, 012,  800 

33.8 

14, 368, 780 

9.49 

7 

Ohio . 

1,285, 602 

33.2 

42, 007,  577 

36.4 

15,215, 832 

11.79 

8 

New  York . 

1,306,344 

31.3 

40, 797, 664 

43.4 

17,374,513 

13.44 

9 

Michigan . 

1,161,260 

31.6 

35,994,019 

37.0 

13,327,118 

11.41 

10 

Pennsylvania . 

1,141,057 

29.3 

33, 525, 321 

41.7 

13, 558,  694 

12. 03 

11 

North  Dakota . 

1,044,031 

29.7 

31,392,559 

31.2 

9,666,039 

8.98 

12 

South  Dakota . 

951,553 

31.6 

29, 353,  752 

30.3 

9, 003,  065 

9. 33 

13 

Kansas  ...  . 

1,013,902 

24.4 

24, 835, 354 

34.8 

8,281,639 

8.23 

14 

Texas  . 

798, 442 

27.8 

22, 712,  303 

48.2 

10, 242, 235 
5, 963, 903 

12. 71 

15 

Missouri . 

759, 245 

23.4 

17,714,100 

35.2 

7.98 

16 

Oklahoma^ . 

480, 303 

29.4 

13,872,095 

37.7 

5, 202, 283 

10.58 

17 

Oregon  . 

273, 214 

30.0 

8, 316, 130 
8, 286, 963 

43.7 

3, 663, 797 

13.18 

18 

Montana . 

187, 164 

43.3 

41.9 

3,521,286 

18. 14 

19 

Washington . 

163, 667 

46.3 

7, 693,  716 

42.8 

3, 330, 028 

19.  86 

20 

Colorado . 

146, 059 

35.3 

5,  208,  991 

47.4 

2,501,761 

16.76 

21 

Kentucky . 

239, 696 

21.0 

5, 053, 044 

41.6 

2, 000,  321 

8.60 

22 

California . 

159, 061 

31.  2 

5, 038, 567 

55.9 

2,877,245 

17.61 

23 

Georgia . 

291,986 

15.3 

4,500,511 

60.3 

2, 755, 622 

9.  33 

24 

Maine . 

118, 952 

37.1 

4,402,672 

48.8 

2, 136, 252 

18.  00 

25 

Arkansas . 

215, 173 

20.0 

4,278,428 

47.0 

1,948,183 

9.34 

26 

Idaho  . 

99, 871 

41.7 

4, 242, 563 

45.1 

1,940,498 

IS.  82 

27 

Virginia . 

209, 237 

17.6 

3,598,184 

44.8 

1,603,720 

7.93 

28 

Tennessee . 

188, 094 

19.4 

3, 588, 663 

43.7 

1,557,242 

8.  54 

29 

South  Carolina . 

209, 212 

17.1 

3,564,592 

61.9 

2, 226, 572 

10.75 

30 

Alabama . 

225, 032 

15.6 

3, 509, 503 

57.6 

2,038,473 

9.05 

31 

North  Carolina . 

226, 458 

14.8 

3, 325, 908 

53.6 

1,767,868 

8.00 

32 

Vermont . 

81,456 

36.0 

2, 929, 547 

47. 5 

1,370,036 

16.  97 

33 

West  Virginia . 

94, 735 

22.1 

2, 082, 669 

45.1 

926, 602 

9.91 

34 

Mississippi . 

116, 685 

16.7 

1,914,119 

56.2 

1,081,705 

9.38 

35 

New  Jersey . 

66,699 

28.0 

1,862,924 

43.6 

792, 514 

12. 13 

36 

Utah . 

45, 642 

40.3 

1,835,  042 

47.5 

877, 053 

19.13 

37 

Wyoming . 

50, 153 

35.9 

1,804,042 

46.8 

854, 105 

16.77 

38 

Marvland . 

38, 778 

25.1 

961,902 

41.1 

381,427 

10.  32 

39 

Louisiana . 

31,042 

16.9 

523, 677 

51.2 

268, 463 

8.  65 

40 

New  Hampshire . 

14,346 

32.3 

464,  032 

50.0 

225, 391 

16.10 

41 

New  Mexico . 

14, 951 

29.9 

460, 160 

59.0 

278, 489 

17.57 

42 

Florida . 

31,196 

13.5 

421 , 248 

64. 5 

273, 872 

8.82 

43 

Connecticut . 

11,156 

31.9 

354,  863 

47.4 

164, 526 

15.05 

44 

Massachusetts . 

7,543 

33.1 

252,  495 

49.9 

122, 532 

16.45 

45 

Nevadac . 

6,416 

38.2 

248, 502 

63.3 

160,  939 

24. 28 

46 

Delaware . 

5. 554 

25.3 

134, 244 

42.8 

54,  693 

10.96 

47 

Arizona  c . 

2,  243 

33.0 

75, 633 

68.1 

52, 633 

22. 52 

48 

Rhode  Island . 

1,954 

29.4 

57, 745 

50.7 

28, 230 

14.  58 

United  States^ .... 

29, 643, 072 

29.5 

869, 953, 989 

35.5 

306, 072, 805 

10. 26 

°  The  mean  yield  per  acre,  price  per  bushel,  and  value  per  acre  in  this  table  are  aver¬ 
ages  of  the  annual  figures  rather  than  computations  from  the  average  acreage,  production, 
and  farm  value  for  the  ten-year  period. 

b  The  Oklahoma  figures  are  for  nine  years,  1901-1909,  and  include  Indian  Territory 
previous  to  the  admission  of  the  State. 

c  The  Nevada  and  Arizona  figures  are  for  nine  years. 

Does  not  include  estimates  for  Indian  Territory,  Nevada,  and  Arizona  for  the  year  1900. 

The  five  States  leading  in  the  production  of  oats  for  the  ten-year 
period  1900-1900  were  Illinois,  Iowa,  Wisconsin,  Minnesota,  and 
Nebraska.  The  diagram  (fig.  1)  shows  the  proportion  of  the  total 
crop  of  the  United  States  grown  in  each  of  the  States  producing 
more  than  10,000,000  bushels.  The  sixteen  States  shown  on  this  dia- 

420 


OATS  :  DISTRIBUTION  AND  USES. 


9 


gram  grew  nearly  90  per  cent  of  the  total  crop.  Illinois  and  Iowa 
each  produced  nearly  II  per  cent,  while  approximately  9,  8,  and  6 
per  cent  were  produced  in  Wisconsin,  Minnesota,  and  Nebraska,  re- 


/3.92% 
/3.  69% 


msmSSSmBSB^Baa^BSBSOk  4.33%  ' 


SOAK 
HANS. 
TEX. 
MO. 
OH  LA. 
ALL  OTHER: 

Fig.  1 


4.69% 
4/4%/ 
3.65% 

3.6/% 

'/ 

8 3.36%  ' 

2.65% 

BBBBBm  2.6/% 

2.04 % 

/.S9% 


/O.  30 % 


Diagram  showing  the  proportion  of  the  total  oat  crops  of  the  United  States  for 
the  ten  years  1900-1909  produced  by  the  different  States. 


r 


Fig.  2. — Map  of  the  United  States,  showing  the  percentage  of  the  total  acreage  of  each 
State  devoted  to  oats  for  the  ten  years  1900—1909.  In  the  States  included  in  the 
unshaded  portion  less  than  1  per  cent  of  the  area  is  devoted  to  this  crop ;  in  the 
lightly  shaded  portion,  from  1  to  5  per  cent  ;  and  in  the  heavily  shaded  portion,  more 
than  5  per  cent.  Where  no  figures  are  given,  less  than  one-tenth  of  1  per  cent  is 
devoted  to  oats. 

spectively.  In  acreage  devoted  to  oats  Iowa  slightly  exceeds  Illinois. 

Wisconsin,  Minnesota,  and  Nebraska  follow  in  the  order  named. 

Figure  2  shows  the  percentage  of  the  total  area  of  each  State  annu- 

59506°— Bull.  420—10 - 2 


10 


oats:  distribution  and  uses. 


ally  devoted  to  oats  in  the  ten  years  1900-1909.  In  Iowa  the  crop 
was  grown  on  11.4  per  cent  of  the  area  and  in  Illinois  on  10.9  per 
cent.  Only  two  other  States,  Indiana  and  Wisconsin,  devoted  more 
than  5  per  cent  of  their  area  to  oats.  As  previously  stated,  1.6  per 
cent  of  the  total  acreage  of  the  United  States  was  annually  devoted  to 
oats  during  this  period.  In  Maine,  Vermont,  New  York,  Wisconsin, 
Montana,  and  Wyoming  the  acreage  devoted  to  oats  exceeds  the  com¬ 
bined  acreage  of  both  wheat  and  corn.  It  exceeds  the  wheat  acreage 
in  the  other  New  England  States  and  in  Florida,  Alabama,  Mississippi, 
Louisiana,  Michigan,  Illinois,  and  Iowa,  but  is  exceeded  by  the  corn 
acreage  in  these  States.  The  acreage  in  oats  exceeds  that  devoted  to 
corn  in  Minnesota  and  North  Dakota  and  in  all  of  the  Rocky  Moun- 


Fig.  3. — Map  of  the  United  States,  showing  the  mean  yield  of  oats,  in  bushels  per  acre, 
for  the  ten  years  1900-1909.  In  the  unshaded  portion  the  mean  yield  is  less  than  25 
bushels  ;  in  the  lightly  shaded  portion,  from  25  to  35  bushels  ;  and  in  the  heavily  shaded 
portion,  more  than  35  bushels. 

tain  and  Pacific  Coast  States,  but  it  is  exceeded  by  the  wheat  acreage. 
The  corn  acreage  exceeds  that  in  oats  in  Arizona  and  New  Mexico. 

Illinois,  Iowa,  Wisconsin,  and  Minnesota  rank  in  the  order  named 
in  the  total  annual  value  of  their  oat  crops.  New  York,  on  account 
of  the  high  price  per  bushel,  43.4  cents,  ranks  fifth,  though  exceeded 
in  production  by  Nebraska,  Indiana,  and  Ohio.  Washington,  Mon¬ 
tana,  Idaho,  Utah,  and  Nevada  show  the  highest  yield  to  the  acre. 
In  all  of  these  States  most  of  the  oat  crop  is  grown  under  irrigation. 
Maine,  Vermont,  Wisconsin,  and  Minnesota  are  among  the  States 
which  show  the  highest  yield  without  irrigation.  In  general,  the 
highest  yields  are  found  in  the  Northern  and  Western  States  and 
the  lowest  in  the  Southeastern  States,  as  shown  in  figure  3. 

420 


oats:  distribution  and  uses. 


11 


The  highest  price  per  bushel  and  the  highest  acre  value  are  found 
in  Arizona  and  Nevada,  respectively.  In  these  States  practically  the 
entire  oat  crop  is  grown  under  irrigation,  so  that  the  cost  of  produc¬ 
tion  is  high.  The  annual  crop  in  Nevada  is  only  about  250,000 
bushels,  while  Arizona  produces  less  than  100,000  bushels.  The  acre 
value  in  Nevada  is  $24.28,  while  in  Arizona  it  is  $22.52.  The  leader 
in  acre  value  among  the  important  States  in  oat  production  is  Wash¬ 
ington,  with  $19.86,  followed  closely  by  Utah,  Idaho,  and  Montana. 
Owing  to  the  high  cost  of  producing  the  crop  under  irrigation  in 
these  States,  however,  the  net  profit  to  the  acre  is  probably  not 
greater  than  in  some  of  the  States  where  the  acre  value  is  much 
lower.  The  acre  value  of  the  oat  crop  in  each  of  the  States  is  shown 


Fig.  4. — Map  of  the  United  States,  showing  the  mean  acre  value  of  oats  on  December  1 
for  the  ten  years  1900-1900.  In  the  unshaded  portion  the  mean  value  is  less  than 
$10  to  the  acre;  in  the  lightly  shaded  portion,  from  $10  to  $15;  and  in  the  heavily 
shaded  portion,  more  than  $15. 

in  figure  4.  The  highest  acre  values  are  found  in  the  New  England, 
Rocky  Mountain,  and  Pacific  Coast  States.  The  highest  price  per 
bushel  is  ordinarily  found  in  the  South,  the  low  acre  value  being  due 
to  the  low  yield.  In  the  Central  States  west  of  the  Mississippi  River, 
where  the  yield  is  comparatively  high,  the  low  price  per  bushel  is  the 
cause  of  the  low  acre  value. 

MARKETING  OATS. 

HOME  CONSUMPTION. 

The  greater  portion  of  the  oat  crop  of  the  United  States  is  fed  on 
the  farms  where  it  is  grown.  According  to  the  figures  of  the  Bureau 
of  Statistics  of  this  Department,  in  the  ten  years  from  1900  to  1909 

420 


12 


oats:  distribution  and  uses. 


28. T  per  cent  of  the  crop  was  shipped  out  of  the  county  where  it  was 
grown.  The  average  annual  shipment  for  the  ten  years  was  246,- 
000,000  bushels.  The  smallest  proportion  of  the  crop  shipped  out  of 
the  county  where  grown  was  of  the  small  crop  of  1901,  19.5  per  cent, 
and  the  largest  proportion  was  of  the  crop  of  1909,  the  largest  crop 
on  record,  32.7  per  cent.  The  largest  shipment  of  any  one  crop  was 
of  that  of  1909,  nearly  330,000,000  bushels. 

PREPARATION  EOR  MARKET. 

The  grade  of  oats  can  often  be  raised  by  running  the  grain  through 
a  fanning  mill,  removing  the  dirt,  trash,  weed  seeds,  and  light  oats. 
Little  attention  is  paid  to  the  matter  of  dirt  in  market  oats,  however, 
either  at  country  elevators  or  at  the  central  markets,  so  that  at  pres¬ 
ent  the  farmer  is  hardly  justified  in  cleaning  his  grain  before  market¬ 
ing.  Oats  are  occasionally  clipped  to  increase  the  weight  per  bushel 
and  the  market  price.  By  this  process  a  portion  of  the  hull  is  re¬ 
moved  from  the  tip  of  the  grain,  but  as  special  machinery  is  required 
it  is  little  used  except  in  elevators.  Bleaching  with  sulphur  fumes 
or  other  chemical  means  is  sometimes  used  in  elevators  to  improve 
the  appearance  of  oats.  By  this  process  grain  which  has  been  dis¬ 
colored  from  weathering  or  from  heating  in  stack  or  bin  is  rendered 
bright  and  white  in  appearance.  While  it  is  probable  that  the 
bleaching  process  causes  little  damage  to  the  feeding  value  of  the 
grain,  its  germination  is  often  materially  lowered,  and  bleached  or 
purified  grain  should  never  be  bought  for  seed  without  a  satisfactory 
germination  test.  As  weathering  or  heating  usually  diminishes  the 
feeding  value  of  grain,  chemically  purified  grain  is  ordinarily  some¬ 
what  lower  in  that  respect  than  its  appearance  indicates. 

LEGAL  WEIGHT. 

The  legal  weight  of  a  bushel  of  oats  is  32  pounds  in  most  of  the 
States.  In  Maryland  it  is  26  pounds,  while  in  Virginia  and  New 
Jersey  it  is  30  pounds.  The  Baltimore  Chamber  of  Commerce  and 
the  Richmond  Grain  and  Cotton  Exchange,  however,  use  32  pounds 
as  the  weight  of  a  bushel  of  oats.  In  Idaho  36  pounds  is  the  stand¬ 
ard.  No  legal  weight  is  fixed  in  Delaware,  Nevada,  New  Mexico, 
South  Carolina,  Utah,  and  Wyoming.  In  Canada  34  pounds  is  the 
legal  weight  of  a  bushel  of  oats. 

MARKET  GRADES. 

The  market  grades  of  oats  differ  somewhat  in  the  different  grain 
centers  of  the  country,  so  no  universal  standard  can  be  <nven.  The 
following  grades  have  been  adopted  by  the  Grain  Dealers’  National 
Association.0  They  are  not  recommended  for  general  use  by  the  De- 

°  Grades  of  grain  adopted  by  the  Grain  Dealers’  National  Association  at  the 
thirteenth  annual  convention,  held  at  Indianapolis,  Ind.,  October  6-8,  1909. 

420 


OATS  :  DISTRIBUTION  AND  USES. 


13 


partment  of .  Agriculture,  but  are  presented  as  a  matter  of  general 
interest  to  farmers,  who  are  often  not  familiar  with  the  market 
grades  of  grain. 

WHITE  OATS. 

No.  1  white  oats  shall  he  white,  dry,  sweet,  sound,  bright,  clean,  free  from 
other  grain,  and  weigh  not  less  than  32  pounds  to  the  measured  bushel. 

No.  2  white  oats  shall  be  05  per  cent  white,  dry,  sweet,  shall  contain  not  more 

than  1  per  cent  of  dirt  and  1  per  cent  of  other  grain,  and  weigh  not  less  than 

20  pounds  to  the  measured  bushel. 

Standard  white  oats  shall  be  92  per  cent*  white,  dry,  sweet,  shall  not  contain 
more  than  2  per  cent  of  dirt  and  2  per  cent  of  other  grain,  and  weigh  not 
less  than  28  pounds  to  the  measured  bushel. 

No.  3  white  oats  shall  be  sweet,  00  per  cent  white,  shall  not  contain  more 

than  3  per  cent  of  dirt  and  5  per  cent  of  other  grain,  and  weigh  not  less  than 

24  pounds  to  the  measured  bushel. 

No.  4  white  oats  shall  be  00  per  cent  white,  may  be  damp,  damaged,  musty, 
or  very  dirty. 

Notice. — Yellow  oats  shall  not  be  graded  better  than  No.  3  white  oats. 

MIXED  OATS. 

No.  1  mixed  oats  shall  be  oats  of  various  colors,  dry,  sweet,  sound,  bright, 
clean,  free  from  other  grain,  and  weigh  not  less  than  32  pounds  to  the  meas¬ 
ured  bushel. 

No.  2  mixed  oats  shall  be  oats  of  various  colors,  dry,  sweet,  shall  not  contain 
more  than  2  per  cent  of  dirt  and  2  per  cent  of  other  grain,  and  weigh  not 
less  than  28  pounds  to  the  measured  bushel. 

No.  3  mixed  oats  shall  be  sweet  oats  of  various  colors,  shall  not  contain  more 
than  3  per  cent  of  dirt  and  5  per  cent  of  other  grain,  and  weigh  not  less  than 
24  pounds  to  the  measured  bushel. 

No.  4  mixed  oats  shall  be  oats  of  various  colors,  damp,  damaged,  musty,  or 
very  dirty. 

RED  OR  RUSTPROOF  OATS. 

No.  1  red  oats,  or  rustproof,  shall  be  pure  red,  sound,  bright,  sweet,  clean, 
and  free  from  other  grain,  and  weigh  not  less  than  32  pounds  to  the  measured 
bushel. 

No.  2  red  oats,  or  rustproof,  shall  be  seven-eighths  red,  sweet,  dry,  and  shall 
not  contain  more  than  2  per  cent  dirt  or  foreign  matter,  and  weigh  30  pounds 
to  the  measured  bushel. 

No.  3  red  oats,  or  rustproof,  shall  be  sweet,  seven-eighths  red,  shall  not  con¬ 
tain  more  than  5  per  cent  dirt  or  foreign  matter,  and  weigh  not  less  than  24 
pounds  to  the  measured  bushel. 

No.  4  red  oats,  or  rustproof,  shall  be  seven-eighths  red,  may  be  damp,  musty, 
or  very  dirty. 

WHITE  CLIPPED  OATS. 

No.  1  white  clipped  oats  shall  be  white,  clean,  dry,  sweet,  sound,  bright,  free 
from  other  grain,  and  weigh  not  less  than  35  pounds  to  the  measured  bushel. 

No.  2  white  clipped  oats  shall  be  05  per  cent  white,  dry,  sweet,  shall  not  con¬ 
tain  more  than  2  per  cent  of  dirt  or  foreign  matter,  and  weigh  not  less  than 
32  pounds  to  the  measured  bushel. 

No.  3  white  clipped  oats  shall  be  sweet,  00  per  cent  white,  shall  not  contain 
more  than  5  per  cent  of  dirt  or  foreign  matter,  and  wTeigh  not  less  than  30 
pounds  to  the  measured  bushel. 

420 


14 


oats:  distribution  and  uses. 


No.  4  white  clipped  oats  shall  be  90  per  cent  white,  damp,  damaged,  musty,  or 
dirty,  and  weigh  not  less  than  30  pounds  to  the  measured  bushel. 

MIXED  CLIPPED  OATS. 

No.  1  mixed  clipped  oats  shall  be  oats  of  various  colors,  dry,  sweet,  sound, 
bright,  clean,  free  from  other  grain,  and  weigh  not  less  than  35  pounds  to  the 
measured  bushel. 

No.  2  mixed  clipped  oats  shall  be  oats  of  various  colors,  dry,  sweet,  shall  not 
contain  more  than  2  per  cent  of  dirt  or  foreign  matter,  and  weigh  not  less  than 
32  pounds  to  the  measured  bushel. 

No.  3  mixed  clipped  oats  shall  be  sweet  oats  of  various  colors,  shall  not  con¬ 
tain  more  than  5  per  cent  of  dirt  or  foreign  matter,  and  weigh  not  less  than 
30  pounds  to  the  measured  bushel. 

No.  4  mixed  clipped  oats  shall  be  oats  of  various  colors,  damp,  damaged, 
musty,  or  dirty,  and  wreigh  not  less  than  30  pounds  to  the  measured  bushel. 

Note. — Inspectors  are  authorized  when  requested  by  shippers  to  give  weight 
per  bushel  instead  of  grade  on  clipped  white  oats  and  clipped  mixed  oats  from 
private  elevators. 

PURIFIED  OATS. 

All  oats  that  have  been  chemically  treated  or  purified  shall  be  classed  as 
purified  oats,  and  inspectors  shall  give  the  test  weight  on  each  car  or  parcel 
that  may  be  so  inspected. 

EXPORTS  AND  IMPORTS. 

In  the  ten  years  ended  June  30,  1909,  the  average  yearly  export 
shipment  of  oats,  including  oatmeal,  from  the  United  States  was 
slightly  less  than  18,000,000  bushels  annually,  or  about  2  per  cent  of 
the  crop.  The  largest  single  year's  shipment  during  this  period  wras 
made  in  the  fiscal  year  ended  June  30,  1906,  wdien  more  than  48,000- 
000  bushels  were  exported,  while  the  smallest  exportation,  less  than 
2,000,000  bushels,  was  made  in  1904.  The  average  yearly  importa¬ 
tion  of  oats,  including  oatmeal,  during  the  ten-year  period  wras 
772,184  bushels.  By  far  the  greater  portion  of  the  imports  in  this 
decade  wTas  received  in  the  fiscal  year  1909,  when  6,691,703  bushels 
were  imported,  practically  three  times  the  quantity  recorded  in  any 
previous  year  since  1865.  The  next  largest  importation  in  the  decade, 
383,418  bushels,  Tvas  recorded  in  the  fiscal  year  ended  June  30,  1908. 
The  importation  of  oats  is  largely  confined  to  grain  to  be  used  for 
seed  or,  in  years  of  short  crops  of  poor  quality,  for  milling. 

COMPOSITION  OF  OATS. 

The  proportion  of  grain  to  straw  in  the  oat  plant,  the  proportion  of 
kernel  to  hull  in  the  grain,  and  the  chemical  composition  and  digesti¬ 
bility  of  the  grain,  straw,  and  hay  wfill  now  be  discussed. 

PROPORTION  OF  GRAIN  TO  STRAW. 

The  proportion  of  grain  to  straw  varies  widely  in  different  varie¬ 
ties  of  oats,  in  different  seasons,  and  under  different  conditions  of 

420 


oats:  distribution  and  uses. 


15 


growth.  Twenty-five  varieties  of  oats  in  a  five-year  test  at  the  Ohio 
Agricultural  Experiment  Station  averaged  44.4  pounds  of  straw  to 
1  bushel  of  grain,  or  slightly  more  than  1 J  pounds  of  straw  to  1  pound 
of  grain.  The  individual  varieties  varied  from  a  little  more  than  1 
to  almost  2  pounds  of  straw  to  1  pound  of  grain.  In  a  publication  of 
this  station  another  average  in  seven  years  of  1  pound  of  grain  to  2 
pounds  of  straw  is  reported. 

In  Illinois  variations  from  1.2  pounds  to  2.7  pounds  of  straw  to  1 
pound  of  grain  are  reported  in  different  seasons.  The  Kansas  Agri¬ 
cultural  Experiment  Station  reports  a  still  greater  variation  of  1.2 
to  4.1  pounds  of  straw  to  1  pound  of  grain  in  different  seasons. 
Under  irrigation  the  usual  proportion  is  about  1  pound  of  grain  to  2 
pounds  of  straw. 

PROPORTION  OF  KERNEL  TO  HULL. 

Like  the  proportion  of  grain  to  strawT,  the  proportion  of  kernel  to 
hull  is  decidedly  variable.  Not  only  is  there  a  great  difference  in 
varieties  in  this  respect,  but  seasonal  and  soil  conditions  also  have  a 
marked  influence.  There  is  no  fixed  relation  between  the  weight  per 
bushel  and  the  proportion  of  kernel  to  hull,  though  with  a  given 
variety  greater  weight  per  bushel  is  usually  associated  with  a  greater 
proportion  of  kernel  to  hull.  Oats  ordinarily  contain  from  65  to  70 
per  cent  of  kernel.  In  very  poor  samples,  however,  the  kernel  may 
constitute  not  more  than  55  per  cent  of  the  grain,  and  in  very  good 
ones  it  may  make  up  75  to  80  per  cent.  The  varieties  with  long, 
slender  grains  usually  contain  a  higher  proportion  of  kernel  than 
those  with  short,  thick  grains.  Small,  early  varieties,  like  the  Sixty- 
Day  and  the  Kherson,  usually  contain  a  very  high  percentage  of 
kernel.  The  Swedish  Select,  a  popular  variety  in  the  Northern 
States,  also  makes  an  excellent  showing  in  this  respect. 

Seasonal  variation  in  the  proportion  of  kernel  to  hull  is  well  shown 
in  some  determinations  made  by  the  writer.  Samples  of  seven 
varieties  grown  at  the  Wisconsin  station  in  1905  averaged  71.97  per 
cent  of  kernel,  while  the  same  varieties  in  1907,  a  much  poorer  year 
for  the  production  of  oats,  contained  but  66.62  per  cent.  The  varie¬ 
ties  ranged  from  69.13  to  78.07  per  cent  in  1905,  and  from  63.71  to 
69.86  per  cent  in  1907,  the  variety  with  the  lowest  percentage  in  1905 
being  highest  in  1907.  Six  varieties  of  oats  grown  under  irrigation 
at  the  Montana  station  in  1906  averaged  75.79  per  cent  of  kernel, 
while  the  following  year  they  averaged  71.81  per  cent,  though  the 
difference  in  the  average  weight  per  bushel  was  less  than  1  pound  in 
the  two  years. 

420 


16 


oats:  distribution  and  uses. 


CHEMICAL  ANALYSES. 

The  chemical  composition  of  oats,  oat  straw,  oat  hay,  and  the  green 
plant,  together  with  similar  analyses  of  other  grains  for  comparison, 
is  shown  in  Table  V. 


Table  V. — Results  of  analyses  of  oats  and  of  oat  products,  showing  the  per¬ 
centage  of  water  and  the  number  of  pounds  of  ash,  protein,  etc.,  in  100  pounds 
of  water-free  substance,  with  similar  figures  for  other  grains  for  comparison .a 


Constituents  in  100  pounds  of  dry  matter. 

Feed. 

Samples. 

Water. 

Ash. 

Protein. 

1 

Fiber. 

Carbohy- 
“  d  rates. 

Fat. 

Grain: 

Number. 

Per  cent. 

Pounds. 

Pounds. 

Pou?ids. 

Pounds. 

Poxinds. 

Oats . 

30 

11.0 

3.3 

13.3 

10.7 

67.1 

5.6 

Wheat . 

310 

10.5 

2.0 

13.4 

2.0 

80.3 

2.3 

Barley . 

10 

10.9 

2.7 

14.0 

3.0 

78.3 

2.0 

Corn . 

208 

10.9 

1.7 

11.8 

2.3 

78.1 

6.1 

Oat  products: 

Oat  shorts . 

2 

5.4 

3.8 

19.1 

5.7 

65.4 

6.0 

Oat  bran . 

2 

6.1 

6.7 

13.0 

19.8 

56.3 

4.2 

Oat  dust . 

2 

6.5 

7.4 

14.4 

19.5 

53.6 

5.1 

Oat  kernels . 

6 

7.9 

2.2 

16.0 

1.0 

73.1 

7.7 

Oat  hulls . 

1 

7.3 

7.2 

3. 6 

32.0 

56.1 

1.1 

Straw: 

■ 

Oat  straw . 

12 

9.2 

5.6 

4.4 

40.8 

46.7 

2.5 

Wheat  straw . 

4 

9.6 

4.7 

3.8 

42.1 

48.0 

1.4 

Barley  straw . 

97 

14.7 

6.  7 

4.1 

42.0 

45.5 

1.7 

Rye  straw . 

7 

7.1 

3.4 

3.2 

41.9 

50.2 

1.3 

Corn  stover . 

60 

40.5 

0.  7 

6.4 

33.1 

53.0 

1.8 

Hay: 

Oat  hay . 

12 

16.0 

7.3 

8.8 

32.4 

48.3 

3.2 

Oat  and  pea  hay . 

4 

9.8 

8.8 

11.4 

32.7 

44.4 

2.7 

Barley  hay . 

Timothy  hay . 

4 

10.6 

5.9 

10.4 

26.4 

54.5 

2.8 

68 

13.2 

5. 1 

6.8 

33.4 

51.8 

2.9 

Green  fodder: 

Oat  fodder . 

6 

62. 2 

6.5 

8.9 

29.6 

51.0 

4.0 

Corn  fodder . 

126 

79.3 

6.8 

8.7 

24.2 

58.  9 

2.4 

Rye  fodder . 

7 

76.6 

4.  4 

11.1 

49.6 

29.1 

2.5 

Red  clover.. r . 

43 

70.8 

7.2 

15.1 

27.7 

46.2 

3.8 

a  The  figures  in  this  table  have  been  compiled  mainly  from  Farmers'  Bulletin  22,  U.  S. 
Dept,  of  Agriculture.  .  - 


In  Table  V  the  chemical  composition  of  oats  is  shown  in  com¬ 
parison  with  that  of  wheat,  barley,  and  corn.  The  figures  show  that 
while  oats  are  higher  in  crude  fiber,  due  to  the  hull,  the  grain  contains 
a  high  proportion  of  protein  and  fat,  two  very  valuable  constituents. 
Although  practically  one-third  of  the  grain  is  hull,  oats  contain  as 
much  protein  as  wheat,  nearly  as  much  as  barley,  and  more  than 
corn.  They  are  much  higher  in  fat  than  either  barley  or  wheat  and 
are  higher  in  ash  or  mineral  matter  than  any  of  the  other  grains.  As 
protein  is  a  flesh-forming  element  and  ash  is  used  in  the  formation  of 
bones,  it  can  readily  be  seen  why  oats  are  so  valuable  for  feeding  to 
young  and  growing  animals.  The  percentage  of  water  as  given  for 
the  different  grains  is  that  found  in  laboratory  samples;  ordinary 
commercial  samples  of  all  the  grains  usually  show  a  higher  moisture 
content. 

The  table  also  gives  the  chemical  composition  of  oat  hulls  and  oat 
kernels  and  of  several  products  of  the  oatmeal  industry.  While 

420 


oats:  distribution  and  uses. 


17 


these  oat  feeds  are  not  well  known,  their  high  feeding  value,  as 
shown,  indicates  that  they  should  be  used  wherever  they  are  obtain- 
able  at  a  reasonable  price.  There  is  considerable  variation  in  the 
composition  of  different  varieties  of  oats  and  of  different  samples 
of  the  same  variety,  largely  due  to  differences  in  the  percentage  of 
hull.  According  to  the  composition  of  the  kernel  and  the  hull,  as 
given,  100  pounds  of  a  variety  with  70  per  cent  of  kernel  would  have 
0.57  pound  less  protein,  1.44  pounds  more  crude  fiber,  0.77  pound  less 
carbohydrates,  and  0.305  pound  less  fat  than  100  pounds  of  a  variety 
with  75  per  cent  of  kernel. 

The  analyses  of  oat  straw  show  that  this  roughage  well  deserves 
its  reputation  as  the  best  of  its  class  for  feeding.  In  protein  and 
fat  it  is  higher  in  feeding  value  than  wheat,  barley,  or  rye  straw, 
while  in  carbohydrates  there  is  little  difference.  Pound  for  pound 
in  its  natural  condition  it  is  also  materially  better  than  corn  stover, 
on  account  of  the  greater  moisture  content  of  the  latter,  but  the  dry 
matter  in  corn  stover  is  rather  richer  in  food  constituents  than  that 
in  oat  straw. 

Oat  hay  is  shown  to  be  slightly  inferior  to  barley  hay  in  feeding 
value,  but  it  ranks  higher  than  timothy  hay  in  protein  and  fat,  and 
in  consequence  is  a  slightly  better  feed.  Hay  made  from  the  bearded 
varieties  of  barlev  is  sometimes  not  readily  eaten  bv  stock  on  account 
of  the  beards;  the  waste  thus  occasioned  makes  oat  hay  fully  as  valu¬ 
able,  ton  for  ton,  as  hay  made  from  bearded  barley.  The  composition 
of  several  samples  of  hay  made  from  oats  and  peas  is  also  shown  in 
the  table.  While  the  composition  of  this  hay  depends  to  some  extent 
on  the  proportion  of  the  two  crops  in  the  mixture,  its  high  feeding 
value  is  apparent. 

Oats  cut  green  for  feeding  contain  less  water  than  either  corn 
or  rye.  The  superiority  of  oats  over  rye  for  soiling  is  particularly 
noticeable,  as  the  oats  are  much  higher  in  total  food  value.  Green 
oats  compare  quite  favorably,  pound  for  pound,  with  green  clover. 

DIGESTIBILITY. 

The  feeding  value  of  any  article  depends  not  only  on  its  chemical 
composition,  but  on  the  digestibility  of  the  matter  it  contains.  It 
may  contain  a  very  high  proportion  of  valuable  food  material,  but 
part  of  this  material  may  be  in  such  form  that  animals  are  not  able 
to  digest  it.  While  the  hull  of  oats  contains  little  that  is  digestible, 
it  serves  to  lighten  the  grain  ration  and  to  give  bulk,  and  in  that 
way  aids  the  complete  digestion  of  the  grain.  As  shown  in  Table 
VI,  oats  contain  more  digestible  protein  than  barley  or  corn  and 
nearly  as  much  as  wheat.  This  grain  is  also  much  higher  in  fat  than 
barley  or  wheat,  and  practically  as  high  as  corn.  In  carbohydrates, 
the  cheapest  portion  of  the  food,  oats  are  considerably  lower  than 

420 


18 


oats:  distribution  and  uses. 


any  of  the  other  grains.  Oat  straw  ranks  much  higher  in  digestible 
protein  and  fat  than  the  straw  from  any  of  the  other  grains,  and 
nearly  as  high  in  carbohydrates.  It  contains  less  protein  than  corn 
stover,  but  more  of  the  other  food  constituents.  Oat  hay  is  higher 
than  timothy  hay  in  all  the  digestible  nutrients. 


Table  VI. — Digestible  nutrients  in  oats,  oat  strain,  and  oat  hag,  as  compared 

with  other  grains  and  grain  products .a 


Material. 

Dry 

matter 

Digestible  nutrients  in  ICO 
pounds. 

in  100 
pounds. 

Protein. 

Carbo¬ 

hydrates. 

Fat. 

Grain : 

Oats . . 

Pounds. 

89.0 

Pounds. 

9.2 

Pounds. 

47.3 

Pounds. 

4.2 

Wheat . 

89.5 

10.2 

69. 2 

1.7 

Barley . . . 

89. 1 

8.7 

65. 6 

1.  6 

Corn . 

89.1 

7.9 

66.7 

4.3 

.8 

Roughage : 

Oat  straw . 

90.8 

1.2 

38.6 

Wheat  straw . 

90.4 

.4 

36.3 

.4 

Barley  straw . 

85.8 

.7 

41.2 

.6 

Rye  straw . 

92.  9 

.6 

40.6 

.4 

Corn  stover . 

59.5 

1.7 

32.4 

.7 

Hay  : 

Oat  hay . 

91. 1 

4.3 

46.4 

1.5 

Timothy  hay . 

86.8 

2.8 

43.4 

1.4 

a  Taken  from  Henry's  “  Feeds  and  Feeding.” 


UTILIZATION  OF  THE  GRAIN. 

USE  OE  OATS  AS  HUMAN  FOOD. 

Oats  have  been  used  as  human  food  in  northern  Europe  for  many 
centuries.  In  Scotland  oatmeal  porridge,  or  groats,  is  one  of  the 
principal  articles  of  diet.  Hull -less  oats  are  largely  used  as  food  in 
the  mountainous  districts  of  China,  where  the  grain  is  not  only  used 
as  porridge  but  is  ground  into  meal  and  used  in  the  making  of  bread 
and  cakes.  In  the  United  States  the  manufacture  and  consumption 
of  oatmeal  have  greatly  increased  in  recent  years.  Most  of  the  oat- 
meal  now  manufactured  is  more  properly  termed  u  rolled  oats,” 
though  the  cracked  or  cut  grain,  commonly  known  as  “  groats,”  is 
used  to  a  limited  extent. 

Oatmeal  when  properly  cooked  is  one  of  the  cheapest  and  best  of 
the  cereal  foods.  Long  cooking  not  only  makes  it  more  palatable,  but 
greatly  increases  its  digestibility.  The  Iowa  Agricultural  Experi¬ 
ment  Station  found  that  the  average  price  per  pound  of  three  brands 
of  oatmeal  was  slightly  less  than  that  of  seven  uncooked  foods  made 
from  other  cereals  and  little  more  than  half  that  of  seventeen  brands 
of  prepared  cereals.  Ten  cents  purchased  a  greater  fuel  value  in  the 
form  of  oatmeal  than  in  the  average  of  the  other  uncooked  cereals,  and 
nearly  double  that  which  could  be  obtained  in  the  prepared  cereals* 
The  protein  content  of  the  oatmeal  was  greater  than  that  of  any  of 

420 


oats:  distribution  and  uses. 


19 


the  other  cereal  foods.  Similar  results  showing  the  high  food  value 
and  comparatively  low  cost  of  oatmeal  are  reported  by  several  other 
agricultural  experiment  stations.  It  is  generally  recognized  that 
most  of  the  protein  in  oatmeal  is  readily  digestible  and  that  oatmeal 
is  a  valuable  addition  to  the  diet. 

FEEDING  THE  G&AXN  TO  STOCK. 

Oats  have  long  been  the  staple  grain  for  feeding  horses.  The  high 
protein  content  furnishes  a  large  amount  of  muscle-building  ma¬ 
terial  for  the  development  of  young  animals  and  for  the  maintenance 
in  good  condition  of  older  ones  at  heavy  work.  The  protein  and  fat 
in  the  grain  are  largely  digestible,  while  complete  mastication  and 
digestion  are  aided  by  the  presence  of  a  considerable  amount  of  crude 
fiber  in  the  hulk  Oats  are  also  excellent  for  feeding  to  cattle  and 
sheep,  especially  to  milch  cows  and  ewes.  They  are  not  adapted  for 
feeding  to  hogs  on  account  of  the  large  amount  of  crude  fiber  they 
contain,  though  crushed  oats  are  sometimes  fed  to  brood  sows.  Oats 
are  often  fed  to  poultry,  forming  a  large  part  of  the  ration  when  not 
too  high  in  price. 

Probably  by  far  the  greater  portion  of  the  oats  produced  in  the 
United  States  is  fed  to  horses.  In  the  opinion  of  many  good  horse¬ 
men  no  other  feed  produces  as  good  results  in  keeping  the  animals  in 
good  condition  and  high  spirits.  Though  the  stimulating  effect  of 
oats  on  horses  is  generally  recognized  by  horsemen,  the  attempts  of 
chemists  to  find  the  active  principle  which  produces  it  have  been 
without  results.  Recent  experiments  with  other  feeds  for  work 
horses  indicate  that  equally  as  good  results  can  be  secured  where  oats 
are  in  part  replaced  by  corn,  especially  if  a  small  amount  of  oil  meal 
or  other  feed  rich  in  protein  is  also  used. 

Oats  are  usually  fed  whole  to  horses.  In  the  feeding  of  young  colts 
and  older  animals  with  poor  teeth,  grinding  or  crushing  the  grain 
is  of  benefit.  Musty  grain  should  never  be  fed  to  stock.  Xew  oats 
should  be  fed  with  caution,  as  they  are  likely  to  have  a  decidedly 
loosening  effect  on  the  bowels.  When  oats  are  high  in  price,  corn  or 
other  grains  can  be  substituted  in  part  in  the  ration  for  horses. 
Where  brewers’  grains  are  available,  they  are  sometimes  used  for 
this  purpose,  as  are  barley  and  boiled  rye.  A  recent  experiment  at 
the  Michigan  Agricultural  Experiment  Station  in  wintering  work 
horses  on  cheap  rations  showed  that  corn,  beet  pulp,  and  bran  can  be 
used  with  profit  in  place  of  oats  and  timothy  hay  when  these  feeds 
are  high  in  price.  In  an  experiment  at  the  Ohio  station  in  substi¬ 
tuting  corn  for  oats  in  feeding  work  horses,  it  was  found  that  when 
mixed  clover  and  timothy  hay  was  fed,  ear  corn  was  practically  as 
efficient,  pound  for  pound,  as  oats,  and  that  the  use  of  corn  for  work 
horses  did  not  induce  laziness  or  lack  of  endurance;  nor  did  the  use 

420 


20 


OATS  :  DISTRIBUTION  AND  USES. 


of  oats  increase  spirit  or  endurance.  This  experiment  does  not  indi¬ 
cate  that  corn  will  give  as  good  results  as  oats  when  fed  with  timothy 
hay  alone,  while  in  the  feeding  of  brood  mares  with  foals  it  is  prob¬ 
able  that  oats  are  to  be  preferred.  At  the  Iowa  station  results 
equally  as  good  were  secured  at  less  cost  when  work  horses  were  fed 
corn  with  a  moderate  amount  of  oil  meal,  gluten  feed,  or  cottonseed 
meal  as  when  fed  a  corn  and  oat  ration  of  equal  nutritive  value. 

The  high  protein  content  and  readily  digestible  nature  of  oats 
make  them  excellent  feed  for  dairy  cows.  Often,  however,  they  are 
too  high  in  price  to  feed  with  profit.  According  to  a  test  conducted 
by  the  Wisconsin  station,  oats,  pound  for  pound,  are  somewhat  more 
valuable  than  bran  for  milk  production.  On  this  basis,  with  bran  at 
$25  a  ton,  oats  are  worth  44  cents  a  bushel  for  dairy  cows.  The  grain 
is  usually  fed  whole,  though  it  is  sometimes  crushed  or  ground  or 
fed  in  the  form  of  corn  and  oat  feeds.  Some  of  the  prepared  feeds 
bearing  this  name,  however,  contain  a  large  percentage  of  oat  hulls 
and  little  of  the  grain.  Oats  are  excellent  for  feeding  to  calves,  par¬ 
ticularly  to  those  of  the  dairy  breeds.  They  seldom  form  an  impor¬ 
tant  part  of  the  ration  of  fattening  cattle. 

Oats  are  valuable  for  feeding  to  sheep,  particularly  to  growing 
lambs  and  to  ewes.  While  experiments  show  that  this  grain  is  only 
a  little  lower  in  feeding  value  than  corn  for  fattening  sheep,  better 
results  will  be  secured  by  feeding  corn  and  oats  mixed  than  oats 
alone.  Oats  are  usually  fed  unground.  Breeding  ewes  should  be 
fed  a  half  pound  of  oats,  bran,  or  peas  daily,  the  selection  of  the 
grain  depending  on  the  availability  and  the  relative  prices  of  the 
different  feeds.  Sheaf  oats  make  good  feed  for  sheep  as  well  as  for 
other  stock.  Ground  oats  can  be  fed  to  young  lambs  with  excellent 
results. 

As  previously  stated,  on  account  of  the  large*  quantity  of  crude 
fiber  in  oats,  this  grain  is  not  well  adapted  for  use  in  feeding  hogs. 
An  experiment  at  the  Wisconsin  station  showed  excellent  results 
when  a  ration  of  one-third  ground  oats  and  two-thirds  corn  meal 
was  fed  to  growing  pigs.  A  larger  proportion  of  ground  oats  or  the 
substitution  of  whole  oats  for  the  ground  oats  decreased  the  rate  of 
gain  and  increased  the  cost.  Ground  or  crushed  oats  are  excellent 
for  brood  sows.  They  can  be  fed  with  best  results  in  the  form  of 
slop,  alone  or  in  combination  with  bran,  shorts,  or  peas. 

Oats  are  quite  largely  used  in  poultry  feeding,  forming  an  impor¬ 
tant  part  of  the  grain  ration  of  breeding  stock.  They  are  usually 
fed  with  other  grains,  their  high  protein  content  making  them  a  valu¬ 
able  grain  to  combine  with  corn  to  balance  the  ration.  They  are 
little  used  for  fattening  poultry. 

420 


OATS  :  DISTRIBUTION  AND  USES. 


21 


USE  OF  OAT  BY-PRODUCTS. 

As  the  principal  article  manufactured  from  oats  is  oatmeal,  so  the 
principal  by-products  of  oatmeal  manufacture  are  oat  feeds.  If 
these  feeds  contain  a  considerable  proportion  of  small  oats  and  broken 
kernels  they  may  form  a  valuable  addition  to  the  ration.  If,  how¬ 
ever,  they  are  made  up  largely  of  oat  hulls,  as  is  often  the  case,  they 
have  about  the  same  value  as  other  coarse  roughage  and  can  not  be 
considered  as  a  concentrate.  The  corn  and  oat  feeds  on  the  market 
are  usually  made  up  of  cracked  corn  and  the  refuse  from  oatmeal 
mills,  which,  as  just  stated,  often  consists  largely  of  oat  hulls.  Their 
feeding  value  does  not  ordinarily  justify  the  high  prices  at  which 
they  are  usually  sold. 

UTILIZATION  OF  THE  STRAW. 

Oat  straw  is  quite  largely  used  for  feeding  to  horses,  cattle,  and 
sheep.  As  a  part  of  a  maintenance  ration,  it  is  of  considerable  value, 
being  nearly  equal  to  corn  stover  (the  stalks  with  the  ears  removed). 
If  the  straw  is  of  good  quality  there  will  be  less  waste  in  feeding  than 
with  stover.  It  is  higher  in  feeding  value  and  more  palatable  than 
the  straw  from  any  other  small  grain.  A  common  practice  in  feeding 
oat  straw  is  to  allow  the  animals  to  run  to  the  stack  at  will.  This  is 
wasteful  when  roughage  is  high  in  price,  as  much  of  the  straw  will 
be  trampled  under  foot  and  worked  into  the  manure.  A  better  plan 
is  to  feed  the  straw  from  mangers  or  open  racks,  as  there  is  much  less 
waste  from  feeding  in  this  way.  If  roughage  is  low  in  price  and 
straw  is  plentiful,  however,  the  extra  expense  of  hauling  the  straw  to 
the  racks  will  not  be  justified. 

Where  it  is  not  utilized  for  feeding,  oat  straw  is  largely  used  for 
bedding  for  animals  and  in  the  formation  of  manure.  When  com¬ 
bined  with  the  droppings  from  animals,  it  serves  to  hold  the  liquid 
manure,  gives  bulk,  and  adds  humus  and  considerable  fertilizing  ma¬ 
terial  to  the  soil.  At  the  present  prices  of  commercial  fertilizers,  $3 
a  ton  is  a  conservative  estimate  of  the  value  of  oat  straw  as  a  fertil¬ 
izer.  It  is  altogether  too  valuable  to  burn,  a  common  practice  in 
some  sections.  Oat  straw  is  not  extensively  used  in  manufacturing, 
rye,  wheat,  and  rice  straw  being  the  kinds  that  are  commonly  utilized. 

USE  AS  HAY  AND  PASTURE  AND  FOR  SOILING. 

A  considerable  acreage  of  oats,  either  alone  or  in  combination  with 
peas  or  vetch,  is  harvested  annually  for  hay.  Oat  hay’is  produced  to 
some  extent  in  the  South,  particularly  in  those  sections  where  the  crop 
does  not  produce  grain  satisfactorily,  and  in  the  Pacific  Coast  States. 
With  Canadian  field  peas,  oats  are  grown  for  hay  in  the  northern  por¬ 
tion  of  the  United  States  and  in  Canada,  while  this  crop  is  grown  with 

420 


22 


oats:  distribution  and  uses. 


vetch  in  the  Pacific  Northwest  and  in  a  very  limited  way  in  the  South. 
If  cut  when  the  grain  is  in  the  milk,  oats  make  a  very  palatable  and 
nutritious  hay,  which  is  readily  eaten  by  stock  of  all  kinds.  The 
addition  of  peas  or  vetch  increases  the  yield  of  hay  as  well  as  its 
feeding  value.  Oat  and  pea  hay  is  particularly  well  liked  by  sheep 
and  dairy  cows  and  is  highly  recommended  for  feeding  to  these  ani¬ 
mals.  A  common  proportion  is  1  bushel  of  peas  to  1-J  bushels  of  oats, 
sowing  2J  bushels  of  the  mixture  to  the  acre.  The  feeding  value  of 
the  hay  depends  largely  on  the  proportion  of  pea  vines  it  contains,  but 
the  mixture  just  given  or  equal  parts  of  the  two  grains  is  usually  re¬ 
garded  as  most  satisfactory.  Hay  from  oats  alone  or  from  oats  and 
peas  is  cut  and  cured  like  other  hay,  though  if  the  crop  is  heavy  it  may 
be  found  rather  difficult  to  cure.  Curing  in  the  windrow  or  cock,  with 
as  little  handling  as  possible,  is  desirable  in  order  to  retain  the  leaves 
and  pods  on  the  pea  vines.  The  hay  should  be  cut  before  many  of  the 
pods  ripen ;  otherwise  the  peas  will  shell  out  in  handling  and  a  valu¬ 
able  portion  of  the  crop  will  be  lost.  The  grain  binder  may  be  used 
in  harvesting  if  the  crop  is  allowed  to  become  nearly  ripe  before 
cutting  and  is  partially  cured  before  shocking.  A  good  crop  of 
oats  should  yield  from  2  to  2J  tons  of  cured  hay,  while  peas  and  oats 
together  should  make  from  2}  to  3  tons. 

Oats  alone  or  in  combination  with  either  peas  or  vetch  make  an 
early,  nutritious,  and  heavy-yielding  soiling  crop.  If  several  seedings 
are  made  in  succession  at  intervals  of  a  week  or  two,  the  crop  is 
in  good  condition  for  use  over  a  considerable  period.  If  more  is 
grown  than  can  be  used  for  feeding  green,  the  crop  may  be  allowed 
to  mature  and  be  cut  for  hay,  or  it  may  be  used  as  pasture.  Oats  fur¬ 
nish  abundant  pasture  for  sheep  and  hogs,  which  is  available  quite 
early  in  the  season.  If  peas  are  sown  with  the  oats,  the  crop  should 
be  allowed  to  make  considerable  growth  before  the  hogs  are  turned  in 
on  it,  as  the  young  pea  vines  are  easily  broken  off  and  destroyed. 
Sheep  do  less  injury  in  this  way  and  can  be  turned  in  on  the  pasture 
early  in  the  season. 

Mutton  or  pork  may  be  very  cheap!}7  produced  by  allowing  the  peas 
and  oats  to  ripen  and  then  pasturing  off  the  crop  with  sheep  or  hogs. 
This  combination  is  particularly  well  liked  by  sheep,  and  as  they 
make  rapid  growth  and  cheap  gains  upon  it,  it  should  be  more  gen¬ 
erally  used.  As  the  crop  is  pastured  off  it  costs  nothing  to  harvest  and 
the  land  is  enriched,  as  practically  all  of  the  plant  food  taken  from 
the  soil  is  returned,  together  with  the  nitrogen  taken  from  the  air  by 
the  pea  vines. 

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oats:  distribution  and  uses. 


23 


USE  AS  A  NURSE  CROP  AND  AS  A  COVER  CROP. 

Oats  are  frequently  used  as  a  nurse  crop  for  clover  and  grass,  and 
in  some  sections  for  alfalfa.  This  use  is  only  incidental,  however, 
as  the  oats  are  sown  primarily  for  the  production  of  grain,  while  the 
position  of  this  crop  in  the  rotation  immediately  preceding  the 
meadow  or  pasture  crop  makes  it  desirable,  and  in  some  cases  neces- 
sary,  to  sow  grass  or  clover  seed  with  it.  When  used  as  a  nurse 
crop  rather  less  seed  should  be  sown  than  when  not  so  used,  while 
early  harvesting  and  the  growing  of  early  varieties  are  advisable.  A 
less  frequent  use  of  oats  is  as  a  cover  crop  in  orchards,  to  protect  the 
roots  of  the  trees  by  shading  them  in  late  summer  and  by  forming  a 
mulch  and  holding  the  snow  in  winter.  The  cover  crop  also  serves 
to  check  the  growth  of  the  trees  and  to  insure  thorough  ripening  of 
the  young  wood  before  cold  weather.  Canada  field  peas  or  vetch 
make  a  valuable  addition  to  oats  when  used  for  this  purpose. 

SUMMARY. 

The  oat  crop  of  the  world  is  nearly  3,700,000,000  bushels  annually, 
most  of  which  is  produced  in  Europe  and  North  America.  The  prin¬ 
cipal  oat-producing  countries  are  the  United  States,  European  Russia, 
Germany,  France,  and  Canada.  In  the  United  States  the  greater  por¬ 
tion  of  the  crop  is  grown  in  the  upper  Mississippi  Valley.  Illinois, 
Iowa,  Wisconsin,  Minnesota,  and  Nebraska  are  the  leading  States 
in  the  production  of  oats.  The  annual  crop,  1900-1909,  of  the  United 
States  is  about  900,000,000  bushels. 

The  market  grades  of  oats  depend  on  the  color  of  the  grain  and  its 
freedom  from  mixture  and  from  dirt. 

The  legal  weight  of  a  bushel  of  oats  in  most  of  the  States  is  32 
pounds. 

About  2  pounds  of  straw  are  usually  produced  to  1  pound  of  grain. 
The  proportion  of  straw  may  be  materially  reduced,  however,  in 
some  varieties  and  in  some  seasons,  or  it  may  be  materially  increased. 
The  hull  usually  comprises  30  to  35  per  cent  of  the  grain,  though  the 
range  is  from  little  more  than  20  per  cent  to  about  45  per  cent. 

Analyses  show  that  oats  are  higher  in  protein  than  corn  and  about 
equal  to  wheat  and  barley.  They  are  higher  in  ash  than  any  of  the 
other  grains,  and  considerably  higher  in  fat  than  either  barley  or 
wheat.  On  account  of  the  hulls,  oats  contain  the  highest  percentage 
of  crude  fiber,  an  undesirable  element.  Oat  straw  contains  more 
protein  and  more  fat  than  corn  stover  or  the  straw  of  any  other  small 
grain. 


420 


24 


OATS  :  DISTRIBUTION  AND  USES. 


Oats  are  quite  largely  used  as  food  for  man  in  the  form  of  oat¬ 
meal,  or  rolled  oats,  a  highly  nutritious  cereal  food.  Most  of  the 
crop,  however,  is  used  for  feeding  to  stock,  particularly  to  horses. 
No  other  grain  is  so  popular  for  feeding  to  this  class  of  animals. 
Good  results  are  also  secured  from  feeding  oats  to  dairy  cows,  sheep, 
and  poultry,  though  the  price  of  this  grain  is  often  too  high  to 
justify  such  use. 

Oat  straw  is  more  palatable  and  more  nutritious  than  the  straw  of 
any  other  grain  and  is  nearly  equal  to  corn  stover.  In  addition  to 
its  use  as  a  feed,  it  is  largely  used  for  bedding  and  for  the  formation 
of  manure.  Its  fertilizing  value  is  about  $3  a  ton. 

Hay  made  from  oats  or  from  oats  and  peas  is  both  palatable  and 
nutritious,  being  higher  in  feeding  value  than  timothy  hay.  These 
crops  can  also  be  used  as  pasture  or  cut  green  for  feeding  to  stock. 
Sheep  do  particularly  well  on  oats  and  peas,  either  when  cut  for  hay 
or  when  used  as  pasture. 

As  oats  frequently  precede  grass  or  clover  in  the  rotation,  they  are 
often  used  as  a  nurse  crop.  They  are  sometimes  used  as  a  cover  crop 
in  orchards. 


[A  list  giving  the  titles  of  all  Farmers’  Bulletins  available  for  distribution 
will  be  sent  free  upon  application  to  any  Member  of  Congress  or  the  Secretary 
of  Agriculture.] 

420 


o 


